I don’t know what tomorrow holds, but I am ready for a new chapter as I start my bonus round in life. On March 16th, 2021, I received a call from my doctor, “You have stage 3 Colorectal Cancer.” My world was rocked. I had just made it through the…

Marketing is just too important to be an isolated function — CMOs are being replaced and renamed as chief customer officers, chief revenue officers, chief strategy officers, and chief growth officers. Marketing is no longer being siloed as a separate function, but instead integrated more closely into areas such as sales, product, technology, and operations. This past year, companies including Uber…

Words of wisdom for my daughters — Zaya & Azalyn, embrace the journey of life. Open your heart and see the world through other’s eyes. There is much to learn. And when you are bigger, you will move mountains. Dream big little princess. Each day there is a canvas ready to be painted. Live, learn, pass on. …

If you are looking for a toolkit to start a cannabis business this isn’t it, but it definitely can help. — My early startup experience taught me more than an education ever could. I learned more about myself, about the world of venture capital and entrepreneurship and developing a profitable and defensible product or service. I also learned that starting a business is tough. It’s even more difficult when you don’t…

I still remember the day I fully committed to moving on from my first startup, MoPix. As a third culture kid who grew up in Senegal, Nepal & Indonesia it was only fitting that I arrived at the final aurora of my startup while sitting on an airplane, returning home…

My young startup adventures told through the advice I wish I could have given my pre-startup self. — Dear Ryan, you will fail. Failure is not the end. A little hardship, some challenges, some deprivation. You can overcome it all, even if just to prove to yourself that you can. Failure is painful and humbling. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” Letting your kids hear stories about how you put…

Parenting is hard work. It’s emotional work. It may be the hardest work we’ll ever do. Small stresses keep on mounting, but we keep them bottled up. …

I’ve previously written about the importance of crafting a quality brand story for your business. If you want to see true success in your company, you need to grab the attention of consumers and help them invest in your brand’s story. …

Identifying Your Best Customers As a strategist, my goal has always been to know my customer and extract what “must-haves” matters to them. This means: Search for real audience insights and opportunities to ensure all is known about the customer, brand, category, project, et cetera. Understand what makes this opportunity different, special or competitive…